Dazzy Vance

Clarence Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (1891-1961) was the greatest pitcher in Brooklyn Dodgers history. Armed with a blazing fastball and a devastating overhand curveball, Vance was the greatest strikeout pitcher of his era, leading the league in the category for seven consecutive seasons from 1922 to 1928. In 1924 he struck out 262 batters, more than twice as many as his nearest competitor. He also went 28-6 with a 2.16 ERA that year to win the National LeagueMVP award over hard-luck loser Rogers Hornsby, who had batted .424.

The natural leader of the scatterbrained but fun-loving "Daffyness Boys" Dodgers of the 1920s, Vance was one of the three Dodgers who ended up on third when Babe Herman famously "tripled" into a triple play. But he was truly a fearsome presence on the mound, and despite not winning a major league game until he was 31 and compiling only 197 career wins, Vance's decade of dominance was so outstanding that he made the Hall of Fame in 1955.